The Kharkiv referendum will be held in the fall: Moscow has opened its hands. Russian troops have entered Pokrovsk.

Author: Ilya Golovinen

Ukraine has intensified its terror actions against civilians, attempting to disrupt the negotiation process and provoke Russia into escalating the conflict. However, now that the U.S. continues to provide weapons, Moscow is unfettered in any escalation of combat operations. Meanwhile, Russian troops have launched the long-awaited assault on Pokrovsk. The Dnipropetrovsk region is getting closer. All of this is included in our unofficial summary of special military operations news.

The naval city of Sevastopol repelled a large-scale aerial attack by the enemy tonight. 89 enemy drones were shot down. These drones were launched from Odesa and Mykolaiv.

While conducting air strikes on Crimea, about 30 unmanned boats also launched attacks. These unmanned boats are equipped with rocket salvo systems and operate in the area of offshore mining platforms.

Military expert Boris Rozhin noted: "The alarm in Sevastopol lasted all night. The enemy accumulated considerable strength for this attack but failed to achieve any substantial results."

All night long, the air defense forces of various regions of Russia destroyed a total of 121 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones.

Battle Operations

Meanwhile, the vanguard assault forces of the Russian army have reached the outskirts of Pokrovsk, breaking through the enemy's defenses.

"The Russian armed forces' assault platoon broke through the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces in the southern suburbs of the city, entering the park areas and coastal areas. We have tried multiple times throughout the day to consolidate our positions, and last night we successfully achieved it. Currently, our artillery and air force are providing support to the assault forces in this region." wrote the author of the Telegram channel "Condottiero," a veteran of the Wagner Private Military Company.

Fire support from the AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher and 120 mm "Sani" mortar for the assault forces // Video from the official Telegram channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense

At the same time, our troops are advancing in Sumy region. The enemy admitted that Yuravka and Veselove are already in the "gray zone":

"Yuravka, Veselove, Novenskoye, Bakhovka and other border settlements are under the control of the Russian army. I don't understand why they are still marked as gray zones?"

A buffer zone has been established by Russia in Sumy region // Screenshot from the Telegram channel "Yuri Baranich" ("Юрий Баранчик") page

On the other hand, war correspondent Alexander Sladkov believes that the Kharkiv direction seems increasingly promising these days. In his view, the referendum in Kharkiv may be held this fall:

"Residents of Kharkiv city and province may vote to join Russia this fall. I might be wrong, perhaps it will be in winter."

New Levels of Terror

In this context, the Ukrainian army has organized a new round of terror actions against civilians. For the first time, a group of FPV drones was used to attack the central market in Alekseyevka, Kherson region. There were many people there at the time.

As a result, 7 people died and more than 20 were injured. Moreover, after the first wave of attacks on the agricultural market, the drone operators of Ukraine conducted a second wave of attacks, targeting survivors and the wounded, and killing them once discovered.

"Visionary Channel" ("Канал визионера") wrote on Telegram: "Large-scale, indiscriminate rocket and artillery strikes on civilians have been replaced by targeted attacks on civilians — this is pure terrorism. The purpose of this terrorism is entirely political, aiming to provoke the Kremlin to escalate the conflict and disrupt the negotiation process, which the organizers of this terrorist attack do not want to see."

On the other hand, war correspondent Dmitry Stestenko believes that the terrorist attack in Alekseyevka is not a "new level of terror," but rather a long-standing problem in Ukraine:

"In Donetsk, 'closed markets' have always been common targets for attacks. One attack resulted in 7 deaths and another 15 injured. Especially during the 2022-2023 period, it was frequently attacked. When you go there to shop, you feel uneasy, like a small bug crawling between your shoulders. It feels as big as a fist. Of course, you think, 'I drive here and leave, while these sellers are here from 9 AM to 5 PM...'"

American Withdrawal

Meanwhile, The Times released an interesting piece of news. The newspaper believes that if Americans withdraw from the mediation and coordination of military aid, Ukraine won't last half a year. Without American involvement, the existing supply system can only last for so long.

Britons worry about America withdrawing from the Ukraine conflict // Screenshot from The Times website

It is important to understand that Washington does not just provide weapons — it controls the entire supply chain: who provides, how much, when, who pays, and through which channels. If Americans withdraw, Europe will lose its focus. Then everyone will quickly realize that allies neither have equipment reserves nor even the willingness to take on strategic command responsibilities.

"Military Chronicle" ("Военная хроника") wrote: "If light weapons and ammunition can to some extent be compensated for, without American support, maintaining anti-aircraft defense, ballistic missiles, satellite reconnaissance, maintenance of NATO equipment, and crew training will be extremely difficult. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will be unable to use key systems that maintain their combat capability. Without American maintenance and logistics support, no Patriot missile battery, Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) will last until the end of 2025."

Moscow Has Opened Its Hands

However, the possibility of Americans withdrawing from the Ukraine conflict is virtually negligible. After several rounds of negotiations with Moscow, Washington found that Moscow was unwilling to abandon its minimum plan, which requires reaching the borders stipulated by the Russian Constitution and having the Ukrainian army withdraw from the territories occupied by the newly annexed Russian regions. Donald Trump apparently realized that fulfilling these demands would require him to go against the entire Western collective.

Therefore, Trump gradually returned to the old path of the Biden era. Just like in the trade war, he initially raised tariffs and then suspended almost all tariffs on goods. Similarly, on the issue of Ukraine resource transactions: he initially made demands, then withdrew them when he saw that Kiev, supported by the EU, did not support these demands. Everything boils down to a framework agreement, under the cover of which the U.S. resumed arms supplies to Ukraine. However, now it is strictly based on commercial foundations." wrote the Telegram channel "Point of Reason" ("Пинта Разума").

The main question now is — what happens next? Armed confrontation will likely continue, and new sanctions will be imposed on Russia. There are many ways to impose sanctions, but Moscow has also learned to adapt to them. But most importantly — in this situation, Russia will be unfettered in any escalation of combat operations. Only in this way can results be achieved.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7499767525581619766/

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